A Beginner’s Guide to Being a Scoundrel

Chapter 127

The Holy King allowed me to walk the Martyr’s Path.

However, he set down several conditions.

The first was that I must not reveal that my purpose in walking the Martyr’s Path was the Fairy’s Tears. That was something I agreed with as well. If the Fairy’s Tears were to appear in the world right now, nothing good would come of it.

The second was that, though he did not know when the time would come, when the time did come, I was to grant him one request of his own. I promised that I would do so, so long as the request neither betrayed human decency nor brought harm to me.

There was no need for something like a written oath. The words of those who had reached our level were already no different from a spoken geas.

Because of the Pilgrim’s Path, the exchange event that had been scheduled between the two academies was canceled.

Instead, although it had originally been planned that only the Holy Kingdom’s high-ranking officials would participate under the Holy King’s attendance, it was said that representatives from the Bayern Academy and the Vatican Academy would be specially allowed to be present as well.

“…….”

From the edge of the blue sky visible beyond the window, darkness began to seep in little by little. The Holy King had promised to finish preparations as quickly as possible and said that, at the latest, it would take place within three hours.

I looked at Petra’s figure as she lay beside the bed, still unable to wake.

At the end of this story, what would become of her?

The original storyline had already been twisted enough. Those who should have died were alive, and those who should have lived were dead and buried in the ground.

If that was the case, then, if that was the case, wouldn’t it be permissible to hope just a little?

But in the end, things had come to this. If I failed to obtain the Fairy’s Tears here, then she would meet her death following the original work, albeit a little early.

“…….”

As I slowly stroked her cheek with a heavy heart, her eyelids twitched. Through the small gap as they opened, Petra quietly looked up at me.

“Leios…….”

“You don’t have to force yourself to speak.”

I let out a small sigh and once more caressed her cheek.

To Petra, all I could say was thank you. If she had not stepped in, the others would have been exposed to Laplace’s curse as well.

If that had happened, at most only two people could have been saved.

But thanks to Petra’s sharp response, the curse ended with her alone being swept up in it.

“This time… I… did well… right……?”

“…You.”

At the words she forced out in a cracked voice, I found myself at a loss for words.

On the first night after departing from the Academy toward the Holy Kingdom, there had been a time when I briefly left my seat to deal with the assassins pursuing us.

Back then, I had lightly reproached Petra for not taking care of the group. But it seemed that she had taken that offhand remark to heart.

I let out a low sigh and slowly took her hand.

“I’m sorry. You had only just been freed from the shackles of family and status, and my words bound you once again.”

“That’s… not… it…….”

Even though Laplace’s curse was gnawing away at her body in real time and must have been agonizing, she answered in a faint, almost breaking voice, as if trying to reassure me, and gave a small smile.

At that, I clenched my teeth. Perhaps sensing my agitation, the fingers held in my hand twitched slightly. After barely calming myself, I spoke in a lowered voice.

“Just rest your eyes a little longer. Once a single night passes, everything will return to how it was.”

“Lei…os…….”

She murmured my name in a small voice. It was faint as before, but the emotion mixed into it was more than enough to reach me.

Soon, Petra closed her eyes again. I carefully released her hand and stood up from my seat.

“…Lord Ostia.”

A Holy Knight who had been waiting by the doorway for some time now called out to me cautiously. At that, I picked up the sword I had set aside and turned my body.

“Let’s go.”

There was still a long road ahead. I could not be blocked and despair in a place like this.

The central training ground of the Holy Kingdom.

Normally, it was a place where Holy Knights trained, but today, by order of the Holy King, it had been sealed off so that only a limited number of people could enter.

Those gathered there included high-ranking officials of the Holy Kingdom as well as representatives from the Bayern Academy and the Vatican Academy.

In particular, the students from the academies looked bewildered, as the exchange event had been abruptly canceled.

Still, since it was done by the Holy King’s command, they simply followed in silence.

Soon, the Holy Kingdom’s senior officials revealed themselves. From the archbishop who oversaw the cardinals to the paladins who led the Holy Knights.

At that splendid lineup, the academy students were left speechless.

The same was true for Carius. As the representative of the Bayern Academy and an imperial prince, he had greater access to information than most. Even so, the current situation left him with more than a few points of confusion.

‘If it’s something the Holy King personally ordered, I can’t very well refuse.’

He asked Darius if he knew anything, but Darius merely shook his head, saying that he didn’t. After that, he said his condition wasn’t good and that he wouldn’t be attending the exchange event.

By the time it came to the third, Leios, there was not even a sign of him, as no one knew where he had gone, which only added to the frustration.

As he let out deep sighs one after another at his unruly younger siblings and the incomprehensible situation, the Holy King—who had ordered all of this—appeared at the training ground.

Those seated in the hastily prepared observation stands along the edge of the training ground all rose from their seats. Soon, the Holy King stepped into the center of the grounds and opened his mouth.

“I would like to express my thanks to all of you for gathering here despite the sudden nature of this matter. Some of you may have already heard, but for those who have not, I shall explain. Today, we are here to introduce one who will newly walk the Pilgrim’s Path.”

At those words, the crowd stirred. On the academy side, most reacted with confusion at the unfamiliar term, while the Holy Kingdom’s senior officials voiced surprise, as if it were an unexpected announcement.

“…The Pilgrim’s Path?”

At the term he had heard once before, Carius slightly furrowed his brow.

The Pilgrim’s Path was an unofficial event of the Holy Kingdom. There should have been no obligation for those from the Empire to participate.

However, at the Holy King’s next words, his furrowed expression was dyed with shock.

“And the name of the pilgrim who will walk that lonely path is a first-year student of the Bayern Academy, Ostia.”

“……!”

Carius was not the only one to show surprise at those words.

The Holy Kingdom’s officials murmured at the fact that the one known as a Hero intended to walk the Pilgrim’s Path, and the students of the Bayern Academy showed agitation at that familiar name.

“…What is the Martyr’s Path?”

When Ostia’s name came up, Alice, who had been standing there with an indifferent expression, asked the group in a small voice. At that, Elysia answered with a troubled look.

“I once heard about it from Father. It’s an unofficial event of the Holy Kingdom where, if you spar with fifty Holy Knights and win against all of them, they grant you whatever you desire.”

“…What is that supposed to be?”

At that, Alice looked around. The number of Holy Knights lined up around the Holy King was a little over fifty. At first, she had thought they were trying to boast of the Holy Kingdom’s might, but all of them had come out to spar with Ostia.

“…Because of me.”

Having grasped the situation, she wore a hollow expression.

Laplace’s Regression was a powerful curse that not even the Holy Kingdom’s Saintess could undo. To resolve it, Ostia had stirred up such a thing in the Holy Kingdom.

‘Even the Holy Knight with the weakest presence is stronger than me.’

Alice clenched both hands as if they were about to shatter.

She exerted so much strength that the tips of her fingers dug into her flesh, blood dripping down drop by drop. Seeing that, Yuria beside her quietly took hold of Alice’s hands.

As if to console her that it was not her responsibility alone, with a look full of pity.

“What was demanded and what price was paid will not be disclosed, in accordance with the martyr’s wishes. All of this will be carried out under the name of the Goddess, and there will not be even the slightest falsehood.”

Soon, the Holy King explained the laws that must be observed when a martyr walked the path.

Solitude

The Martyr’s Path had to be walked alone. No one’s help could be received.

Non-killing

Injuries were unavoidable, but no one was allowed to lose their life. This was the law that took precedence over all else, and if anyone were to lose their life, everything would be rendered null and void.

Benevolence

Any conflicts that arose as the martyr walked the path would all be deemed never to have existed the moment those steps came to a halt. This was founded upon the Goddess’s will to love one another.

Thud.

At the very moment the Holy King finished speaking, a man leapt up onto the training ground, his brilliant blond hair fluttering.

“…….”

Leios silently swept his surroundings with blue eyes.

Walking the Pilgrim’s Path was arduous enough as it was. Because of that, even the artifact he used to change his hair color for the sake of concealing his status had been deactivated.

‘Looks like he has no intention of hiding it.’

Seeing that, Carius let out a sigh.

When even their father, the Emperor, cherished him, who would possibly make an issue of it? If the Chancellor were to find out, he would complain that tradition was being destroyed, but given his younger brother’s personality, there was a high chance he would simply ignore it.

“Then I hereby proclaim before all present that the first step of the martyr has been taken.”

The Holy Emperor finished his words in a solemn voice.

I swept my surroundings with sharp eyes.

As expected, there was no one who looked like a Majin or a Demon. Unless one were extraordinarily reckless, they would not show themselves in a place where the Holy King and all the high priests were gathered.

That meant the possibility of foul play during the duels was drastically reduced.

‘Is it them.’

I raised my head and looked at those lined up behind the Holy King.

Roughly estimating, there were about twenty each at the upper and highest tiers of Expert, and ten Paladins on par with Sword Masters.

As far as I remembered, the Holy Kingdom had more than just ten Paladins. But they likely had no desire to expose their hidden strength in a setting like this.

‘Wear down my stamina with the Expert ranks and finish me with the Paladins, is it.’

It was the orthodox method of a relay battle, but I had no intention of letting myself be beaten down without resistance.

“I am a Holy Knight of the Holy Kingdom—”

The first opponent stepped forward in front of me. He began to drone on, but time was of the essence for me.

Clang—!

“Let’s converse with our swords.”

I cut off his words and drew my sword. Even at that provocation, the Holy Knight merely took his stance with a calm expression.

“Hah!”

With a powerful shout, dazzling holy power burst forth from his entire body. Dense enough to truly befit a Holy Knight of the Holy Kingdom, that aura wrapped around him without the slightest gap, like armor.

At that level, he would likely withstand most impacts.

“I won’t go down easily.”

The Holy Knight seemed to understand the gap between us as well. That was why he spoke to me in a resolute voice, declaring that he would cling on to the very end and endure somehow.

Under normal circumstances, I might have found that spirited resolve appealing and humored him a little, but I had no such leeway now.

Slice.

“…Huh?”

With a light swing of my sword, everything in front of me was split apart.

The barrier of holy power that must have protected him from countless dangers could not withstand my blade, and the armor beneath it was cleanly cut through as well.

“…I’ve lost.”

The Holy Knight acknowledged his defeat with a hollow expression.

One victory down, forty-nine duels remaining. If I won just forty-nine more duels, the Fairy’s Tears would be within my grasp.

From there on, I continued to win the duels with unstoppable momentum.

Expert-rank opponents did not even dare to swing their swords before me, being cut down one after another with a single strike.

Occasionally, those close to the level of a Paladin resisted desperately, but at best they struggled for only a few seconds.

“…I acknowledge defeat.”

After briefly losing consciousness from a blow to the back of the blade, the thirty-ninth Holy Knight regained his senses with another’s help and forced out those words. At that, I let out a small sigh.

Without resting for even a minute, I had defeated forty Holy Knights in succession.

I had minimized my movements to conserve stamina, but with many things compounding together, mental fatigue inevitably accumulated.

‘It would be easier just to kill them.’

From here on, I needed to focus completely.

Those who had failed to cross the wall, and those who had crossed it.

Up until now, I could win even while holding back, but the Paladins who came next were the real thing.

The three standing at the end were strong enough not to be swallowed by my momentum.

“Paladin Aion.”

A familiar voice spoke a familiar name as a figure lightly leapt onto the training ground. Aion stood before me in perfect condition, seemingly having fully recovered from all the injuries he had suffered at my hands during the encounter with the Saintess.

“…Shouldn’t personal feelings be kept out of the Pilgrim’s Path?”

“Do not misunderstand. I am calmer than ever.”

Though he said that, Aion’s eyes burned fiercely, as if set ablaze. It was obvious that he had resolved to repay the humiliation from before.

At that, I let out another small sigh.

To defeat the remaining nine Paladins, I needed to end this duel in victory without taking a single injury.

“I’m sorry, but I won’t go easy on you like last time.”

So curse your own middling strength.